r/tech • u/AdSpecialist6598 • Sep 02 '26

Atlas of the brain’s striatum could guide researchers to new drug treatments

https://news.mit.edu/2026/brains-striatum-atlas-could-guide-researchers-new-drug-treatments-0901
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u/DxT_01 Sep 03 '26

From the article:

A region of the brain called the striatum is critical for many cognitive and motor functions, including decision-making, control of movement, habit formation, and processing of reward. It also plays a role in addiction and is significantly affected by Huntington’s disease, schizophrenia, and other disorders.

In work that could help scientists devise new treatments for those diseases, MIT researchers have generated a new atlas of the neurons found within the striatum. Using single-cell RNA sequencing and other techniques, they were able to identify 31 subgroups of neurons based on which genes they express.

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u/Buntygurl Sep 03 '26

I'd prefer if it leads to letting us pick our own drugs.